Bicycle shoes intended for road bicycling typically include a base and a removable, repositionable bicycle cleat on the base of each bicycle shoe. A rider's cycling power is transferred from the rider's foot, through the base of the bicycle shoe, through the bicycle cleat and to the bicycle pedal to drive the bicycle pedal and the associated bicycle crank. The bicycle pedal transfers the rider's cycling power through the bicycle crank to the bicycle drivetrain. Accordingly, the bicycle shoe base, the bicycle cleat, and the bicycle pedal are each important to the transmission of power to the bicycle drivetrain.
Various styles of pedals are available to accommodate different types of bicycles and different types of bicycling. For instance, clipless pedals (e.g., step-in pedals) are frequently used with bicycles designed for longer and/or more efficient riding, such as road bicycles. The clipless bicycle pedals releasably connect with bicycle cleats mounted to the base of each bicycle shoe. When the bicycle shoe bases are connected to the bicycle pedals via the bicycle cleats, the rider's feet are locked into positions relative to the pedals. In this way, bicycle cleat position relative to the bicycle shoe base dictates the position of the bicycle shoe on the pedal, and by extension, the rider's knee position relative to the pedals. Proper knee position is imperative, as cycling with improper knee position causes sub-optimal performance, stress, and/or temporary or permanent damage to the surrounding muscles, ligaments, and related anatomical structures in the rider's knees.
Traditional methods exist for mounting a bicycle cleat in a specific position on a bicycle shoe base. These methods are employed when bicycle cleats wear or break with use, or when the bicycle cleats or shoes are otherwise replaced or upgraded. Each replacement of the cleats requires the cleats to be adjusted relative to the bicycle shoe base to achieve the proper cleat position for the rider. The first step in the traditional method of mounting a bicycle cleat to a desired position along the shoe base is to outline the existing cleat's position (e.g., using a pen, tape, or similar marking implement) on the bicycle shoe base. The second step in this traditional method is to manually attempt to mount the bicycle cleat on the shoe base within the outline of the cleat being replaced. Obtaining the proper cleat position is even more difficult when bicycle shoes are replaced, as there is no prior cleat position on the shoe base to outline. Accordingly, before new bicycle shoes can safely be used, the rider must engage in an iterative process of cleat repositioning and testing until an acceptable, not necessarily proper, cleat position is finally obtained.
Prior methods for positioning a bicycle cleat on a bicycle shoe base typically involve the use of an existing bicycle cleat positioning device. Existing bicycle cleat positioning devices are meant to assist with positioning the new bicycle cleat relative to a reference point of the shoe base. Such devices typically include a support structure and a cleat adjusting portion. In use, a heel portion of the bicycle shoe base rests atop the support structure. The new cleat is associated with the cleat engaging portion, which is used to adjust the position of the bicycle cleat relative to a reference point on the shoe base.
Traditional bicycle shoe bases and cleat positioning devices are inadequate for several reasons. For example, existing shoe bases and cleat positioning devices fail to adequately secure the heel portion of the shoe base to the bicycle cleat positioning device. The lack of a secure connection between existing shoe bases and cleat positioning devices allows the shoe base to move or become misaligned relative to the cleat. The relative movement or misalignment allowed by these existing shoe bases and positioning devices results in inaccurate cleat placement and cleat misalignment when a user uses the device to position a cleat or adjust cleat position relative to the reference orientation. Additionally, prior cleat positioning devices do not hold the cleat in place relative to the shoe base, but instead allow the cleat to merely rest against the shoe base as its position is adjusted. The failure to secure the cleat to the cleat positioning device allows the cleat to move relative to the shoe base, thereby causing additional inaccuracy in cleat placement or measurement. Further, existing cleat positioning devices are typically only configured to interface with one manufacturer's shoe base and/or one style of cleat.
Existing bicycling cleat positioning techniques are also inadequate for several reasons. The traditional tracing method of cleat replacement is inaccurate because it relies on the operator's ability to perfectly outline the existing cleat's position and then position the new cleat within the traced area on the bicycle shoe base. Replacement cleats may come from a different manufacturer or have a slightly different configuration from the existing cleat, such that the replacement cleat cannot be accurately positioned with the traced area of the existing cleat. Further, shoe replacement requires an iterative process of cleat positioning, rider testing, and repositioning that is inefficient, wastes resources, and does not precisely or reliably allow the rider to reproduce the cleat position from the old bicycle shoes on the new bicycle shoes. In addition, such cleat positioning methods are inaccurate because each requires the operator's judgment to be exercised when attempting to replace the new cleat in the prior cleat's position. Therefore, the outcome of these conventional cleat positioning techniques is dependent on the patience and skill of the operator, thereby leading to inconsistent cleat positioning outcomes.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved bicycle shoe base and cleat positioning system that enables more accurate measuring, positioning, and securing of a cleat to a bicycle show while being interoperable with any manufacturer's shoe base configuration or cleat style.